“Reporters Without Borders has obtained a copy of the verdict in the case of Jiang Lijun, sentenced to four years in prison in November 2003 for his online pro-democracy articles, showing that Yahoo! helped Chinese police to identify him.
It is the third such case, following those of Shi Tao and Li Zhi, proving the implication [...]
Archive of entries posted on April 2006
Yahoo! implicated in third cyber-dissident trial
Database of Requests Submitted under Canada’s Access to Information Act
“This page allows you to search a database of requests for information filed with departments and agencies of the Canadian government under Canada’s Access to Information Act. You can use this database to identify requests that relate to your own research interests. Next, you can contact departments and agencies to obtain records already made public [...]
Forty-seven Attorneys General Submit Letter to the IRS Regarding the Sharing of Personal Information on Tax Returns
Forty-seven Attorneys General submitted a letter to the Internal Revenue Service objecting to proposed IRS rules that would make it easier for businesses to share and use personal information included on tax returns. The Attorneys General said “the best, most prudent course” the IRS could take to protect individuals’ privacy would be to ban tax [...]
2005-2006 PATRIOT Act Votes and Library Funding Support
From ALA, this guide to 2005-2006 Congressional PATRIOT Act Votes and Library Funding Support, which includes “a record of how your Members of Congress voted for the PATRIOT Act reauthorization and for funding for libraries.”
National Archives Releases Second Declassified MOU
“Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein learned that a second classified Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) relating to the re-review of open records existed. He requested its immediate declassification. This MOU, drawn up by the CIA, was declassified on Friday, April 14, 2006, and is available to the public today. Because this agreement unlike the [...]
Ken Burns Gives Voice to Filmmakers’ Concerns
From the Washington Post:
In the crowded conference room of a Washington think tank yesterday, filmmaker Ken Burns passionately described his affection for the Smithsonian Institution and the vast array of historical materials in its archives. Then he just as sternly rebuked the Smithsonian for developing new rules for filmmakers and researchers.
Why the Secrecy? Only the Bureaucrats Know
From the New York Times (registration required:
SHHH! Don’t tell anyone: The British and American intelligence services worked together in World War II.
What may seem to some an obvious historical fact struck a Central Intelligence Agency apparatchik in 2002 as a secret still worth protecting. He redacted a sentence describing the “close coordination” of the allies’ [...]
Bill That Would Have Segregated Books Dies in OK Legislature
From Library Journal:
While the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted 60 to 33 to deny state funding to libraries that don’t confine gay-themed books and other age-inappropriate material to areas exclusively for adults,” the bill Rep. Sally Kern (R-Oklahoma City) sponsored was not considered by the Democrat-dominated Senate.
Filmmakers and Others Petition Against Smithsonian’s Showtime Deal
From the New York Tmes (Registration required):
As the recent coupling between the Smithsonian Institution and Showtime Networks continues to roil the documentary film world, more than 215 filmmakers, television executives and academics have signed a letter demanding that the Smithsonian, a publicly financed museum, not only reveal financial details of the joint venture but also [...]
GPO in a hurry to get to the future
From Federal Computer Week:
The Government Printing Office has set aggressive deadlines to acquire a digital dissemination system that will transform a 19th-century printing office into a 21st-century electronic information agency. But some procurement experts say GPO’s haste could slow its Future Digital System project.
Last week, GPO requested bids for a master integrator to design an [...]